The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

It was already embarrassing enough that he couldn't find Diao Chan and had to take matters into his own hands, but then Guo Fengxiao, whom he had finally managed to appease, brought up the old issues again, leaving him even more at a loss.

The silence inside the carriage was suffocating, broken only by the crunching sound of the wheels rolling over the dirt road.

Xun Hao finally opened his eyes and tried to explain: "Fengxiao, that was just a temporary measure."

"A stopgap measure?" Guo Jia sneered, taking a step closer. "A stopgap measure that requires you to hide it from him, letting Lü Bu mistake you for a woman? And Lü Bu's appearance was also a result of your deduction?"

Xun Hao took a deep breath, suppressing the nameless anger in his heart, and tried his best to make his voice sound calm.

"It was an accident," he explained. "My original plan was to keep the squad leader from investigating further. I even prepared a handkerchief to fake tuberculosis and coughing up blood."

He thought this explanation would make Guo Jia understand that he did not intend to take risks.

To everyone's surprise, Guo Jia let out a very soft, cold laugh after hearing this.

He turned his head, and his usually charming eyes, which always held a hint of a smile, were now devoid of any smile.

"Really? But you seemed to handle it with such ease, it was quite skillful."

"Guo Fengxiao!" Xun Hao's patience finally ran out, and his voice rose several decibels. "You're unreasonable!"

He sacrificed his image to save everyone's lives, and now he comes back to be mocked like this. What does he gain?

"I'm unreasonable?" Guo Jia seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He straightened up, took a step closer, and the already cramped space in the carriage felt even more oppressive. "Do you know who Lü Bu is? Do you know how frivolous the way he looked at you was? You disguised yourself as a woman to deal with him, do you know how dangerous it was just now? If he had been enraged, you wouldn't be alive!"

Seeing the situation was turning sour, Xun Yu quickly stepped between the two and said in a deep voice, "Stop arguing! Fengxiao, Ahao isn't feeling well, please understand! Ahao, Fengxiao is just worried about you!"

However, caught in an emotional storm, neither of them would listen to his advice.

"Brother, get out of my way!" Xun Hao pushed Xun Yu's hand away, staring directly at Guo Jia, his eyes blazing with anger for the first time. "Yes, I didn't tell you! Because this matter is too embarrassing! I don't want to talk about it, is that not allowed! My brother doesn't mind, why are you arguing with me about this?"

Inside the carriage, deathly silence fell once again.

Xun Hao was already mentally exhausted from using the [Legacy Plan] to plan the route, and now he had a splitting headache and his stomach was churning. He felt as if countless stars were exploding in the darkness before his eyes, and the whole world was spinning.

Just then, one of the carriage wheels seemed to have run over a large rock.

The carriage suddenly tilted violently to one side and then fell heavily back down.

"Thump!"

A dull thud echoed clearly in the silent carriage.

Xun Hao was already leaning weakly against the wall, and caught off guard, his body swayed heavily, and his forehead slammed solidly against the hard carriage wall.

He gasped in pain, letting out a muffled groan.

"Ah Hao!" Xun Yu and Xun You exclaimed in surprise and rushed forward to support him.

Guo Jia's tense back stiffened abruptly the moment he heard the voice.

He clenched his hands on his knees, his anger still churning inside him, but another sharp emotion burst forth, stabbing his heart with pain.

He wanted to turn back.

He wanted to get up immediately to check on the guy's injuries, whether his forehead was cut or bleeding.

But the anger stemming from being deceived and kept in the dark, along with the jealousy he himself was unwilling to admit, held him firmly in place.

He cannot turn back.

Turning back means he admits defeat.

Xun Hao leaned against the carriage wall, a dull ache shooting through his forehead, and his vision blurred. He had no strength left to argue, nor the energy to ponder why Guo Jia was acting this way.

He just felt extremely tired, both physically and mentally exhausted.

He slowly closed his eyes, shrinking himself completely into the shadows of the corner, his breathing becoming somewhat rapid.

This silent vulnerability strikes at Guo Jia's weak spot more effectively than any explanation or argument.

The wheels crunched over the gravel, making a creaking sound that seemed particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

From afternoon until dusk, the carriage did not stop.

The atmosphere inside the carriage did not ease in the slightest.

One stubbornly refused to turn back, the other weakly remained silent.

As night fell and a lone, dimly lit post station appeared in the distance, the carriage gradually slowed down.

The coachman respectfully announced from outside, "Young master, it's getting dark. There's an inn ahead; let's rest here tonight."

Guo Jia did not respond. He simply lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down without saying a word.

A biting night wind rushed into the carriage, making Xun Hao shiver.

He watched as Guo Jia walked towards the gate of the post station without looking back, his back view filled with a cold indifference that kept people at arm's length.

Xun Hao sat in the darkness for a while, trying to gather some strength.

He leaned against the side of the car and slowly stood up.

As soon as I stood up straight, a strong feeling of dizziness swept over me.

Suddenly everything went black, and the whole world began to shake violently.

He reached out, trying to grab something to steady himself, but only grasped at empty air.

His body went limp, and he fell straight forward.

Just then, Guo Jia, who had already reached the entrance of the post station, turned his head back as if by some strange impulse.

What he saw was Xun Hao falling out of the carriage.

In that instant, all the anger and stubbornness in Guo Jia's eyes turned to dust.

His mind went blank; his body reacted before his consciousness could.

"Ah-Hao!"

Xun Yu's voice changed tone.

The moment Xun Hao's body went limp, he rushed forward and pulled his swaying younger brother into his arms.

The person in my arms was very hot, but very light.

"Quick! Call a doctor!" Xun Yu held Xun Hao, his fingertips trembling.

Guo Jia turned around abruptly and rushed back to the carriage, only to find Xun Yu already embracing the person.

He pushed aside Xun You, who was equally at a loss, and bent down to touch Xun Hao's forehead with the back of his hand.

"He has a fever!"

His voice was hoarse as he reached out and forcefully took Xun Hao from Xun Yu's arms.

Xun Yu was taken aback by Guo Jia's sudden action, but when he saw Guo Jia's unwavering eyes, he swallowed back the rebuke that was on the tip of his tongue.

Guo Jia picked up Xun Hao and strode into the post station, kicking open the door of the cleanest-looking upper room.

He placed Xun Hao on the bed and was about to turn around to fetch water when he saw Xun Yu and Xun You follow him in.

Looking at his unconscious younger brother on the bed, Xun Yu's face was filled with self-reproach and panic. He took out a cloth, then put it down, intending to loosen Xun Hao's collar, but his movements were clumsy and he didn't know where to begin. He had never personally taken care of his sick brother before.

"Get out of the way!"